“The Place Was Crawling With FBI...”

"Federal agents raided Alaska legislative offices in Juneau, Anchorage, Eagle River and Wasilla today, with search warrants executed on the offices of several state legislators."

"Among the offices being searched were those of Senate President Ben Stevens, R-Anchorage, and Senate Rules Committee Chairman John Cowdery, R-Anchorage. They’re next door to each other on the fifth floor of the downtown legislative offices. Agents were also seen in the Anchorage and Juneau offices of Sen. Donald Olson, D-Nome, and the Wasilla office of Rep. Vic Kohring, R-Wasilla."

"The Associated Press reports that the offices of Rep. Bruce Weyhrauch, R-Juneau, and Rep. Pete Kott, R-Eagle River, were also part of the raid." <more>

Aug 30, 2006

"Away Go Troubles Down The Drain..."

"The gentle whooshing sound audible throughout the Greater Beltway is the deflating hopes of assorted journalists, Bush haters, and Democrat officials whose fantasies of frog marches and impeachment hearings are now dead.

Today, the Wall Street Journal excoriates Richard Armitage, Colin Powell, former Acting Attorney General James Comey and Patrick Fitzgerald in terms so strong they seem to have read my mind. The Wall Steert Journal recommends a presidential pardon for Scooter Libby. I would not go for a pardon, though.

If I had the President’s ear, here’s what I’d advise him to do about the conspiracy."<more>

"All of this matters because it also casts doubt on the thoroughness and fairness of special counsel Patrick Fitzgerald's probe that began in December 2003. The prosecutor never did indict anyone for leaking Ms. Plame's name, though this was supposedly the act of "treason" that triggered the political clamor for a probe. Instead, he has indicted Mr. Libby for perjury and obstruction of justice.""Meantime, as he absorbs the partisan and ultimately trivial truth of this case, why shouldn't he pardon Mr. Libby and put the entire sorry saga to rest?" <more>

Ode to ScooterNow that we know who to blame for the Plame gameWill the media stem the floods from that dam?Or will they continue to inflame with the same claimThat the White House orchestrated this fantasy scam?

They have probably gone too far this time,So silence will be the deafening soundOf those whose disinterest will be sublime,Whose complete ennui will fail to astound.

Scooter who? It will be very hard to recallA name so forgetful, so yesterday.The scandal is over after all,Don’t let painful bygones get in the way.

I Am So Happy...

that Christopher Hitchens has finally solved this confusing Plame case for me! I am going to immediately drop all charges against Scooter Libby - cease and desist any further investigations - close up shop in D.C. - and go golfing!

Except...Scooter's conviction is a done deal since he did commit perjury and engage in obstruction of justice by testifying untruthfully to a grand jury and federal agents stating he learned about Ms. Wilson’s role at the agency from reporters rather than from several officials, including Mr. Cheney. Drats! Back to work.

Par for the course...early in the week and already a couple more big bogies for the MSM - First, way way out of bounds with the John Mark Karr Death Liar story - and yet, once again, shanking right they have fallen for the sand trap of SPIN - dutifully swallowing and reporting fertilizer as fact.

Aug 29, 2006

Terror Strike In America's Heartland...

I am sure he was upset about:A) Iraq,B) Lebannon,C) Gaza/West Bank,D) a womanE) All of the above.

"Another witness, Wendy Hagenbuch, from San Francisco, said she saw the suspect sitting in handcuffs on the curb of Spruce and California streets and that he looked 'so peaceful,' which shocked her.

The man had a dark mustache and was wearing sneakers and jeans, she said.

'He was just an everyday looking guy,' she said."With a name like "Omeed Aziz Popal" surely Michelle Malkin and FOX will renew their support for racial profiling, internment camps and throw revoking driver's licenses into the mix.

"Tarbabies" ARE Sticky..!

"One Republican senator described his house painter as a "little Guatemalan man." Another called an Indian man a "macaca," a type of monkey.

Just as the GOP is pushing for minority voters, the two recent gaffes have fed the perception among some blacks, Hispanics and Asian-Americans that Republicans are out of touch with the changing face of the nation." <more>

Barring an unexpected and big event, Democrats will win control of the U.S. House of Representatives in November and conceivably the Senate, too. Whether it's a tsunami or just a powerful wave, the political dynamics are moving in that direction, or more accurately, against the Republicans and President George W. Bush.

Democratic insiders, who months ago thought their chances of winning a majority in the House were no better than even, and that the Senate was a lost cause, have become far more optimistic. Now, they say, winning the House is a lock, and the Senate is within reach. <more>

DOH! As I see it...the problem with the Democratic Party appears to be that the "insiders" may deaf, dumb and stupid!

Name That GOP..?

"I was always interested in proportion and perfection. When I was fifteen, I took off my clothes and looked in the mirror. When I stared at myself naked, I realized that to be perfectly proportioned I would need twenty-inch arms to match the rest of me."

Americablog Hearts Katherine...

Oh yes. The GOP, the new "Party of God" - also called Hezbollah in Arabic.

"If you are not electing Christians, tried and true, under public scrutiny and pressure, if you're not electing Christians, then in essence you are going to legislate sin," she told interviewers, citing abortion and gay marriage as two examples of that sin.

"Whenever we legislate sin," she said, "and we say abortion is permissible and we say gay unions are permissible, then average citizens who are not Christians, because they don't know better, we are leading them astray and it's wrong..."

Aug 25, 2006

Extra Strength Tums = Sec. Def...

Gen. Batiste: Rumsfeld ‘Served Up Our Great Military A Huge Bowl of Chicken Feces’

Raw Story: Today on MSNBC, retired General John Batiste — former commander of the First Infantry division in Iraq — said that it was “outrageous” Rumsfeld was still in charge of the Pentagon. Batiste added, “He served up our great military a huge bowl of chicken feces, and ever since then, our military and our country have been trying to turn this bowl into chicken salad.” <Watch it>

Presidential adviser Karl Rove criticized a federal judge's order for an immediate end to the government's warrantless surveillance program, saying Wednesday such a program might have prevented the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

Rove said the government should be free to listen if al-Qaida is calling someone within the U.S.

"Imagine if we could have done that before 9/11. It might have been a different outcome," he said.

It might have been a different outcome if we had a President who didn't ignore the August 6, 2001 Presidential Daily Briefing titled "Bin Ladin Determined to Strike in U.S." Imagine if we had a President who took terrorism seriously back in 2001. We didn't. The reason Bush and Rove accuse everyone else of being weak on terror is because they were weak. They ignored the warnings. And, Al Qaeda did strike in the U.S. -- as predicted by the CIA.

Bush got a free ride after 9/11...his failure to protect America was never fully exposed. If anyone challenged him, they were unpatriotic. As we approach the fifth anniversary of 9/11 and the first anniversary of Katrina, the White House will be in spin overdrive. Never forget that both of these disasters happened on Bush's watch.

Hump Day...

"In a ceremony that took place in the White House underground bunker, Mr. Bush today awarded the Medal of Freedom to Vice President Dick Cheney, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, Secretary of State Condaleezza Rice, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, Chief Policy Advisor Karl Rove, and himself.

"In addition to previous honorees Gen. Tommy Franks, CIA director George Tenet and Iraq administrator L. Paul Bremer, nobody has been more responsible for the successful policies of this Administration, both here and abroad, than these fine, dedicated public servants," Bush told a hastily-called news conference. "In all my years in office, I have never seen so many people work so hard to bring us to where we are today -- a respected leader in the world, and a country where all citizens are happily supportive of our policies." <more>

Aug 17, 2006

Open Thread...

Aug 16, 2006

Question Of The Day..?

1. A foolish or stupid person. 2. A person of profound mental retardation having a mental age below three years and generally being unable to learn connected speech or guard against common dangers. The term belongs to a classification system no longer in use and is now considered offensive.

Aug 14, 2006

Ted = A Very Good Egg...

Vice presidents are notorious for serving as an administration's chief attack dog, and time and again Dick Cheney has been unleashed to accuse anyone who is opposed to the Bush administration of aiding the terrorists. But this time he has gone too far.

The comments he made on the result of the Connecticut Democratic primary - that it might encourage "the al-Qaida types" who want to "break the will of the American people in terms of our ability to stay in the fight and complete the task" - are an attack not just on Democrats, but on democracy itself.

What happened in Connecticut is in fact a model for democracies everywhere. The people of the state heard a vigorous debate between two competing visions of how to protect this country. Young citizens became deeply involved, and turnout was high. The primary reminded us of the miracle of our democracy, in which the nation is ruled by its people - not by any entrenched set of leaders. There are few better messages we could send the world in these troubled times.

Cheney's comments about the election were ugly and frightening. They show once again that he and his party will stop at nothing to wrap Republicans in the flag and to insinuate that anyone who votes against them is giving aid and comfort to the terrorists. It's obvious that this administration lacks basic respect for our fundamental freedoms.

Cheney and his crowd are all for free and open elections - as long as they turn out their way. They are all for free speech - provided it supports the administration. They are all for the rule of law - as long as the law does not prevent them from doing whatever they want to do. When elections, speeches or laws are inconvenient, he does not hesitate to declare that they are helping the terrorists. I can think of no graver offense against our democracy.

Ned Lamont's victory in Connecticut scares Cheney for one simple reason: It demonstrates that a free and independent people can and do hold public officials accountable for their words and deeds.

If the terrorists are indeed paying any attention to the Connecticut primary results, they must be worried.

The people of Connecticut spoke out loud and clear in favor of change. Ned Lamont will stand strong for the people of Connecticut, and put tough and smart foreign policies ahead of the politics of fear and more "stay the course" failures. Republicans will stop at nothing to make sure that the November elections are not a referendum on their misguided policy in Iraq or on the way they have run our country for the past six years. Unfortunately, this time the facts are getting in their way.

The American people are ready to change an administration that let Osama bin Laden escape. They are ready to change a Congress that let precious years go by without demanding the implementation of the recommendations of the bipartisan 9/11 Commission to keep us safe.

They are ready to change a policy on Iraq that has drained our resources, weakened our security, stretched our troops and recruited new terrorists.

The November election will teach Dick Cheney and others of his ilk that they cannot use fear to cling to power. As Will Rogers said, "It's no disgrace not to be able to run a country nowadays, but it is a disgrace to keep on trying when you know you can't."

Aug 13, 2006

Double Down For Justice...

They say the money helped perpetuate Enron's collapse -- one of the biggest business frauds in U-S history.The government had originally split the amount between Skilling and company founder Kenneth Lay -- but Lay died last month of heart disease.The government says the two pocketed the money by conspiring to present an optimistic public picture of Enron's health when they knew it was an illusion propped up by cooked books.A filing yesterday says because of Lay's death, Skilling should have to pay all of it. A judge has yet to rule.

Skilling has already been convicted on multiple counts of fraud, conspiracy, insider trading and lying to auditors. He insists no fraud occurred but faces decades in prison at his scheduled October sentencing.

Aug 11, 2006

To The Core...

The two top officials of Counterintelligence Field Activity at the Defense Department resigned this week amid investigations into their agency’s classified contracts with a businessman who has pleaded guilty to bribing department officials and Representative Randy Cunningham.

David A. Burtt II, the director of Counterintelligence Field Activity, and Joseph Hefferon, the deputy director, could not be reached for comment. A Pentagon spokeswoman said Thursday that their resignations were “a personal decision that they both made together.” <more>

Aug 10, 2006

Not My Starbucks Too..?!

Seriously, the terrorists have seized the day - the stock market will be down, and our freedoms - now further restricted in the name of security. They don't always have to succeed to win. It makes one wonder if the war in Iraq has anything to do with creating a whole new generation of terrorists worldwide...

Aug 8, 2006

GOP Family Values...

what's new?

House Majority Leader John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) met with Ney last week to urge him to step aside, reminding him that with a son in college and a daughter nearing college age, he will need money, according to several congressional Republican aides. If he lost his House seat for the party, Boehner is said to have cautioned, Ney could not expect a lucrative career on K Street to pay those tuition bills, along with the hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal fees piling up. <more>

Aug 7, 2006

Another One Bites The Dust..!

"After much consideration and thought I have decided today to no longer seek re-election in Ohio’s 18th Congressional District. I am extremely proud of my 25 years serving the people of Ohio. We’ve accomplished many things to make this state better and I will always be grateful for the trust my constituents put in me. Ultimately this decision came down to my family. I must think of them first, and I can no longer put them through this ordeal.”

“I am deeply grateful for all of the trust and support my family, friends and constituents have given me over the past two years. I look forward to serving out the rest of my term and serving the constituents of the 18th District.”

Aug 6, 2006

Surprised...?

In 1992, Brent R. Wilkes rented a suite at the Hyatt Hotel a few blocks from the Capitol. In his briefcase was a stack of envelopes for a half-dozen congressmen, each packet containing up to $10,000 in checks. <more>

I Believe...

PS: How 'bout them chicken hawks strong on defense?WASHINGTON Aug 1, 2006 (AP)— More than two-thirds of the Army National Guard's 34 brigadesare not combat ready, mostly because of equipment shortages that will cost up to $21 billion to correct, the top National Guard general said Tuesday.

TGIT..!

About Me

Think Globally Prosecute Locally
- I grew up in Flatbush, kept my nose clean, went to law school. Now that I am in Chicago and D.C. I have found that the rampant graft and corruption to be a travesty - a travesty of a mockery of a sham of a mockery of a travesty of two mockeries of a sham.
---Favorite quote --- "Conditional love is an oxymoron." - Yours truly